May Jesus Christ be praised and may his holy Mother pray for
us.
During this season of Lent, which we began on Ash Wednesday,
we travel with the Lord Jesus on his journey to Jerusalem. Today we encounter the Lord Jesus during his
time of temptation in the desert. Today
our readings and our prayers focus on the confession of faith in God and the
confession of faith in the power of God.
In our reading from the book of Deuteronomy, we hear the
instruction of Moses to the people of Israel.
He is instructing them on how they are to offer the first fruits of the
harvest to God. It is a ritual that is
both simple and profound. The offering
of the first fruits are placed in a basket and then placed in the hands of the
priest of God who sets the offering before the Altar of God. What follows is a beautiful profession of
faith in the goodness of God and a sacred recounting of the sacred history of
the people of Israel. The one who brings
the offering to the Lord confesses his faith in the goodness of God and
confesses his confidence in the power of God.
Having been led from slavery to freedom, the appropriate response is
worship and adoration.
In our reading today from the letter of St. Paul to the
Romans, we hear the instruction of Paul to the early Christian community about
the confession of faith that leads to salvation. The confession of faith that Jesus is Lord,
and the confession of faith in the power of God who raised the Lord Jesus from
the dead, is the door to salvation. The
confession of faith follows from a conviction of the heart. The heart of the message of St. Paul does not
include the sacred recounting of the sacred history of the people of
Israel. Moses spoke to the people of
Israel; St. Paul invites all of humanity, both Jews and Gentiles, to call upon
the Lord Jesus, who is Lord of all. The
message of salvation and the invitation to respond in worship are given to the
whole world.
In our reading from the Gospel today, we join Christ in the
desert. The Lord Jesus is filled with
the Holy Spirit and led by the Spirit, and after his days of fasting, he is
tempted by the devil. The three
temptations that the Lord Jesus faces are opportunities to use his divine
power. However, they are not
opportunities for the Lord Jesus to use his divine power for a divine
purpose. The devil questions the Lord
Jesus about his identity as the Son of God.
The devil invites the Lord Jesus, who is hungry, to turn stones into
bread. The devil invites the Lord Jesus,
who is weary, to reject the Kingdom of the Father and embrace in worship the
kingdom of the devil and the treasures of earth. The devil invites the Lord Jesus, who will
suffer, to tempt God and prove that the angels will prevent his suffering. The Lord Jesus, however, quoting the ancient
Scriptures, rejects the invitation of the devil and embraces the will of the
Father. The Lord Jesus will not use his
power to bring comfort to himself. Bread
and treasure and the opportunity to avoid suffering are as nothing compared
with the food and treasure of accomplishing the will of the Father. Divine power will only be used in fulfillment
of the Divine purpose. The confession of
faith in divine goodness and the confession of confidence in divine power lead
to worship, to salvation, and conquers the power of the devil.
As we now enter into the mystery of the suffering and death
of the Lord, as we offer the first fruits of our Lenten penance, let us recount
the goodness of God to his people. Let
us renew our confession of faith in the Lord Jesus and the power of his
resurrection. And let us ask for the
grace to reject every invitation of the evil one, so that we can embrace the
divine will and the divine power of the Holy One of God. Amen.
Preached at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic
Church, Monroe, NC
